Sinning in LA

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
Led Zeppelin

Last year, part of the Hollywood elite tried to go without jewelry to the Oscars. It began popularizing the acronym ITE, otherwise known as any behavior justified by us being In This Economy. This year, somehow they will find a different way of showing their awareness for an economy that is still struggling. As I’m sure they found, without the jewelry they looked less otherworldly, even in fancy designer gowns. The goddess aspect was gone. The sparkle had faded from Tinseltown.

Jewelry allows you, in Tinseltown or Anytown, in the words of author Astrid Aluda, to “wear a sapphire blue lake on your finger, emerald green leaves around your neck and take the citrine sunset with you wherever you go.” Pretty jewelry elevates any dress or outfit, and will take anyone’s awareness off your wrinkles or skin tarnished by sinful nights.

Camille Eddera is a French jeweler living between Los Angeles and Paris. Eddera, Camille’s stunning jewelry company, has designs worn by Victoria Beckham, Charlize Theron, Maria Sharapova and Sarah Jessica Parker, all women of great style. The stars even do something they seldom do when they discover Camille’s artistic jewelry. They pay for the pieces. And I can see why.

“The headband I did by accident,” said Camille when talking about one of her top sellers. “A really good friend of mine is a celebrity hairstylist, and he said he liked my pieces. He wanted something to pin in the hair for awards shows. I came home and was playing with stuff, and I ended up getting carried away. Every time I would wear it, people would freak out. He liked it and took it on set, and Victoria Beckham bought them all.”

“She’s very classy, I have to say,” she said of the stylish Beckham. “She sent me a letter to thank me. I kept showing the headbands at trade shows, and no one would buy them. Every time I would wear them, girls would ask me, take my number, even come to my house. I showed them twice before buyers actually bought them. Two seasons.”

“Victoria wears them all the time now. Maria Sharapova, and a lot of other girls too. I blew all of my own money on these headbands and nobody would touch them. Really though, I just do what my girlfriends like.”

Gorgeous and elegant are understatements. Eddera jewelry does just what you were hoping it would do. It elevates you. My own headband never came off for the entire week after I acquired it. Strangers stopped me in the street to compliment me. I was cutting lines, given preferential treatment, and I was adored. I was truly loving it.

“They’re really great, even with t-shirt and jeans,” said Camille. “They’re decoration for your beautiful face. The more hair you have, the prettier it looks.”

The inspiration for Eddera's first creations was a garden at night, both magical and ethereal. A place which can be simply breathtaking, which is maybe why Camille is one of the few jewelers sold at famously chic style stalwart Colette.

“The snake,” she said, when I asked about her ring, “I made when I was in jewelry school, but I wear it all the time. People really like snakes, so I think I’m going to bring more in. ”

Each piece is individually handmade, and many use original vintage elements found in Paris. Some necklaces or bracelets are only available in limited editions because they include certain chains and medallions that cannot be duplicated.

“Most of the time I draw my jewelry in France. I make the mold over there and bring it back in my suitcase. I got the original lion at a flea market in Paris, and I made a mold. I bought it at this antique flea market that’s “the thing” in June in Paris,” said Camille.

She’s also planning on venturing to other parts of the globe to bring in some other influences. “I’m going to India in March. They have great colors there, and I can’t wait to be inspired,” she said.

“This season I’m doing a ton of colors,” she said of her current line. “I made a set of necklaces with ribbons that are hand-dyed. I wanted something that looked vintage, but I wanted color too. My last collection was metal, and I liked that a lot, but right now I feel ethnic and colors. The same vibe as what I do, but also brighter. I used hand-dyed silk, and the colors are really fun. After this rainy winter, I really want some color. And I can’t decide which one I’m going to wear, so that’s a good sign.”

I don’t really follow what other people do, but I do need to really want to wear them myself.

Camille herself is the epitome of taste and grace. She smiles a lot, and you can tell she enjoys what she does, and the life that she leads. She is a former model, so when asked about recent sins, it wasn’t surprising when she said she’d been “pretty perfect lately.”

“I worked out five times this week,” she said, “and I’ve been eating well. Christmas, though, I definitely ate and drank too much.” Her jewelry does come in a chocolate box, so there’s definitely some temptation beneath the surface.

She said that her favorite places in LA are Cobras and Matadors and a place called Hiko Sushi. “The best sushi in LA, although I’d advise that you let him pick.”

We’re sure you’ll have your own wish list of Camille’s unforgettable jewelry once you’ve seen it, and the town will sparkle again for the Oscars and always.